


I Love Secrets

by moonmoth (greyvvardenfell)



Series: Fictober 2019 [7]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23569705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyvvardenfell/pseuds/moonmoth
Summary: Portia has a surprise for Sterling.
Relationships: Apprentice/Portia Devorak
Series: Fictober 2019 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696495
Kudos: 2





	I Love Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> For the Fictober prompt: "Secrets? I love secrets."

“Hey, Sterling!” Portia popped her head around the door of the palace guest room. “Are you busy?”

Lounging on her stomach across the bed, her chin on her folded wrists as she stared blankly at the opposite wall, Sterling looked anything but occupied. Her earrings rattled as she rolled over and jumped to her feet, eager for any sort of distraction Portia could offer. “I hope I’m about to be!”

Portia grinned. “I found a little something when I was out for a walk this morning. I don’t think anyone’s been there in years! Maybe…” She trailed off, her bright blue eyes flashing quickly from side to side as she checked the hallway for unwanted attention before sidling into Sterling’s room and wrapping her arms around her neck. “It might even be our little secret.”

With a smile of her own, Sterling rested her hands on Portia’s waist and pressed their noses together. “I love secrets.”

Soft lips met chapped ones, freckled skin against brown. Portia closed her eyes and hummed happily before sliding her hands down Sterling’s wiry arms and meshing their fingers together, pulling her out the door. “You’ll love it even more when you see it, promise!”

The two of them whirled through the palace, narrowly avoiding a collision with a servant bearing a tray of minuscule shrimp cocktails on his way up to Valerius’s quarters. Sterling snagged a shrimp that had fallen from its delicate bouquet onto the silver platter and popped it into her mouth while Portia apologized, both of them sharing bashful looks before bursting into laughter after they turned the corner at the end of the hall.

Portia led the way out onto the wide veranda, then down into the sprawling gardens. A pair of groundskeepers waved hellos from the base of one of the wide columns supporting the veranda, where preparation work for the masquerade had just begun.

“Whatcha got there, Yukila?” Portia called, taking Sterling’s hand as she diverted their path to approach.

“String lights, what’s it look like?” One of the groundskeepers straightened up and chuckled. “Countess said we should get the outside done soon’s possible. Right, Warren?”

Her partner nodded, his hands moving quickly as he signed a response and smiled at Portia.

“He says he’ll bring by any extra lights we’ve got to your cottage, if you want ‘em.”

Portia squealed in delight. “Oh, Warren, would you? You’re the best! Can I give you a hug?”

Another nod and she dropped Sterling’s hand to launch herself at him, squeezing tight. Sterling could hear his surprised huff of breath from where she stood several yards back and smiled inwardly. The man called Warren awkwardly patted Portia’s head and shot a frantic glance at Yukila, who must have taken pity on him.

“Alright, alright. I think he gets the picture. Let him go before he changes his mind, now, Poppy!”

Portia giggled. “Whoops, sorry. I tend to go a little overboard on hugs. Ask Sterling, she’ll tell you!”

Both groundskeepers glanced in her direction. Sterling shrugged and held out her hand as Portia made her way back over. “She’s guilty as charged. Think I’ll keep her, though.”

Portia wrinkled her nose and knocked her hip into Sterling’s, sending her staggering with a laugh. “See ya later! Thanks again!” she called over her shoulder to her friends, and took off once more.

Arrangements for the masquerade were taking place all over the gardens. Portia skirted large groups of people carting in bolts of cloth the size of rooms, tables that could feed armies, crate upon crate of decorations. She whispered to Sterling as they hid behind a bush while a massive train of topiary animals went by that many of the broader strokes had been dealt with months before, so these were only the finer details and last-minute changes. Sterling marveled at the scale of the party.

“Wait, didn’t you grow up here?” Portia asked.

“Well, yeah. I think so.”

“What do you mean, ‘you think so?’”

Sterling’s mouth twisted as a headache started to build in her temples. The more she pried at the thought, the more it hurt. “I can’t remember. Asra said once that I was Vesuvian, and I don’t recall ever living anywhere else, but… there’s a lot I don’t recall. Like the masquerade. You’d think I would remember something like that, if I had it in me to remember.”

A small, warm hand rubbed her shoulder. “It’s okay, Sterling. We’ll make new memories, won’t we? That’s what this is all about.”

She met Portia’s kind gaze gratefully. “You’re too sweet. What was it Yukila called you? Poppy?”

She blushed. “Oh. Yeah. It’s my hair. The first time we met, she said it was as red as poppies so she’s called me that ever since.”

“I like it.” Sterling twined a strand of hair around her finger, pulling it from beneath its bandanna. “It suits you.”

“What, the nickname or the hair?”

“Both.”

“Now who’s being too sweet?”

Sterling booped Portia on the tip of her nose and jumped up to escape the fallout, laughing as she dodged a slap to the rear. “Ope, too slow!”

“I don’t think so!” Portia sped up, pulling in front of her and racing off into the less-maintained section of the gardens. “Catch me if you can, slowpoke!”

Sterling gave chase, only stopping when she finally caught up to her quarry at what appeared to be an impenetrable wall of ivy. Breathing hard, she looked around for somewhere to sit, but Portia waved her close.

“We’re here!”

“Where’s here?”

“At the cool place I told you about!”

“I… don’t see anything particularly cool.”

Portia rolled her eyes. “I haven’t shown you the cool part yet, silly!”

“Ohh, okay. I was gonna say…”

“Don’t make me keep this all to myself. Because I will, ya know.”

Sterling stuck her tongue out, the topaz stud in it glinting even in the shade of the secluded area they found themselves in. “You’d try to.”

Portia’s reply caught in her throat. “Yeah, alright. What can I say? You’re too cute to keep secrets from.” She tucked her hand into the ivy and made ready to pull it back. “And this is a big one.”

“Would you quit teasing and show me?” Sterling gave a good-natured groan before grinning.

“You love my teasing, but if you insist…”

Behind the ivy, a circular pool took up a corner of the garden, right up against the lemonstone wall. Its waters were pure and seemed to flow through an underground system that refreshed them without being seen. Large blocks of lemonstone, the same as had constructed the wall, allowed plant life to trail into the water without eroding the banks; yellow lilies and lily pads spread across the surface like they had once covered many of the Vesuvian canals, before plague runoff from the palace aqueducts killed them off. A spiral of stone stairs led down into the pool, clinging to the inside edge.

Sterling walked towards the sanctuary in a daze, her mouth open. Portia carefully lowered the ivy vines back into place and followed, concern darkening her expression. “Sterling?”

“This… is… amazing! How did you—? Why has nobody else—? Portia!” She clapped her hands to her mouth, then thought better of it and grabbed Portia around the waist, rocking her back and forth. “Oh, Por-Por, this place is so pretty! Do you think we could sleep out here? Let’s sleep out here!”

Portia laughed and pressed her face into Sterling’s neck, kissing her shoulder. “I’m so glad you like it, babe. I’ll have to ask milady, since sleeping way out here would probably make me late for my morning duties, buuuuut… in the meantime, know what we could do?”

“What’s that?”

She cupped her hand around Sterling’s shaved head and brought her ear down to her mouth with a cheeky grin. “Whoever strips down fastest gets to push the other into the water.”


End file.
